Keno Madness At The State Capitol

Keno has traveled a circuitous route. Near the end of last year's legislative session, negotiators inserted — without public hearing or much discussion — revenue that would come from keno gambling into the state budget to fill a $30 million hole.

It was a bad move, hastily done and born of desperation and lack of imagination. Connecticut doesn't need this kind of gambling expansion and the trouble that comes with it.

As House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, a keno critic, said last year, "What's next, cockfights?"

So, earlier this year, with the budget showing a projected $500 million surplus, keno lost all its friends before it even started, or so it seemed. The governor, the House speaker, the Senate president, everybody who just months before had been willing to use it as a budget stopgap, said they were against it.

The leaders were quoted in favor of repeal, and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said he would sign. Last month, a repeal bill was approved by the public safety committee.

But wait. Has the tide again shifted? Have lawmakers reversed field once more? The repeal measure languishes. Keno and its revenue are again said to be part of budget negotiations because the most recent tax receipts are not as robust as expected.

If so, what folly.

Keno, a bingo-like electronic gambling game, can't guarantee the state predictable revenue growth. But it can guarantee headaches.

Implementing keno would mean constant betting in hundreds of bars and restaurants where alcohol is served and children are often present. Now the mix of alcohol and betting could be present at every neighborhood restaurant and saloon.

As we noted in a previous editorial, "Keno is said to be addictive; it is sometimes called video crack. Considering how little Connecticut budgets for problem gambling services, this is a situation best avoided."

Nor does keno seem to be a crowd pleaser. It has not done well in polls of Connecticut respondents. In the most recent Quinnipiac University poll (March), 65 percent said they do not think the game should be permitted, while 29 percent support it.